Music box operated musical toy



June 23, 1970 Filed Sept. 11. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE June 23, 19703.. KINBERG MUSIC BOX OPERATED MUSICAL TOY Filed sept; 11, 1968 2Sheets-Sheet 2 3,516,322 MUSIC BOX OPERATED MUSICAL TOY BenjaminKinberg, 425 Riverside Drive,

New York, N.Y. 10025 Filed Sept. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 759,120 Int. Cl. Gf1/06 US. Cl. 84--95 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A musical toy inthe form of a piano having movable keys, 2. music box within the piano,an arrangement for playing the music box intermittently upon playing anyof the keys so that a child believes that he is playing a tune on apiano. The music box has a series of selectively playable tunecylinders.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a musical toysuch as a piano wherein a music box produces a number of tunes byplaying the piano.

PRIOR ART.

Pat. No. 105,972 to Paillard and Pat. No. 310,645 to Bradshaw disclosemusic boxes provided with an arrangement for selectively playing anumber of tune cylinders. However, these music boxes are so complicatedthat they would be too expensive to use as a toy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present inventionis to provide a musical toy which is equipped with a simple,economically constructed music'box.

Another object is to provide such toy a which has a simple arrangementfor playing the music box.

Another object is to provide a music box which requires a minimum ofspecial parts.

A further object is to provide such a toy which is durable inconstruction.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects aregenerally accomplished by providing a musical toy which comprises amusical comb, a pair of spaced apart discs, means rotatably supportingthe discs, bracing rods connecting the discs, a series of tune cylindersjournalled for rotation between the discs at evenly circumferentiallyspaced points and being positioned for selectively engaging the comb,one of the discs having circumferentially spaced index means thereoncorresponding in number and position to the cylinders, spring urgedmeans for engaging the index means to selectively position the cylinderswith respect to the comb, a drive shaft journalled for rotation at thecenter of the discs and having an outwardly extending end, a drive gearon the shaft, a driven gear on each of the cylinders at all times inmesh and driven engagement with the drive gear, a spring motor havingits output connected at all times to the shaft to rotate the samewhereby a music box is provided, and means for intermittently allowingthe motor to operate including a control element for the motor. The toyincludes a body simulating a toy piano and confining the music box; andthe means for intermittently allowing the motor to operate include aseries of keys arranged to simulate a piano keyboard, a rod secured atits ends within the body and having all of the keys pivot- 3,516,322Patented June 23, 1970 ally mounted thereon, the keys each having aninner end which is weighted to raise the outer end of the keys to anon-played position, a pivotally mounted bar resting on the inner end ofall of the keys, and a member on the bar for operating the controlelement, whereby the motor will operate upon playing any of the keys.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a toy pianoin accordance with the present invention, the top being partiallyremoved to illustrate the interior of the piano.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 on FIG. 1, with amusic box illustrated schematically in box diagram.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the music box illustrating the same indetail.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 on FIG. 3 with aspring motor for the music box being shown schematically in box diagram.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2of the drawings in detail, a toy piano is shown which generallycomprises a body 10 in the form of a so-called grand piano, a keyboardill, a music box 12 confined within the body of the piano at the bottomthereof, and an arrangement generally indicated by the reference numeral14 for controlling the operation of the music box by means of thekeyboard.

The keyboard 11 includes a series of a suitable number of keys 15, and ahorizontal rod 16 secured at its ends within the body 10 of the pianoand having all of the keys pivotally mounted thereon. Each key has aninner end which is weighted at 17 to raise the outer end of the keys toa non-played position as shown in FIG. 2.

The arrangement 14 includes a bar 18 pivotally mounted at its ends 16'within the body 10 of the piano and positioned to rest on the inner endof all of the keys, an element 19 for controlling the release of aconventional brake of a spring motor of a music box, and a depending rod20 on the bar 18 for normally engaging the control element 19 to preventoperation of the spring motor and adapted to be raised when any key isplayed to lift the bar and thereby allow the Spring motor to operate. Inthis manner, the music box can be operated intermittently by playing ofthe keys at random so that a child is under the impression that he isplaying the tune.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the music box 12 is shown in detail. The music boxgenerally comprises a spring motor 21 having a wind-up key 22 at thebottom thereof which is accessible from the bottom of the body of thepiano, and the release element 19, already referred to, of aconventional brake 24 shown schematically in box diagram.

More specifically, the music box comprises a pair of spacd apart discs,25 and 26, rotatably supported in a casing 27 and braced together byrods 28, and four tune cylinders 29 journalled for rotation between thediscs at evenly circumferentially spaced points and being positioned forselectively engaging a musical comb 30 by pins 31 on the cylinders.

The disc 25 has four evenly circumferentially spaced index recesses 32on its periphery adapted to be entered by a projection 34 on a leafspring 35 to maintain the discs 25 and 26 in position for the selectedcylinder to play the musical comb.

A drive shaft 36 is journalled for rotation at the center of the discs25 and 26 and has an end extending outwardly of the disc 25. The shafthas a drive gear 37 secured thereto for rotation therewith which at alltimes is in mesh and driving engagement with a driven gear 38 on each ofthe tune cylinders so that all of the cylinders 3 rotate at all timesand a complicated clutch arrangement is eliminated. Likewise, the outputof the spring motor 21 is at all times in driving connection with theshaft 36 to thereby eliminate a clutch arrangement.

In order to select the tune cylinder to be played, the casing 27 has anopening 39 which renders the discs 25 and 26 accessible so that they canbe turned manually. Here again mechanism is eliminated for selecting thetunes to be played.

SUMMATION From the foregoing description, it will be seen that thepresent invention provides a musical toy which fascinates children andis able to accomplish the same result of expensive and complicatedapparatus by an arrangement of the essential elements in a simple andpractical manner.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in any limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A musical toy comprising a musical comb, a pair of spaced apartdiscs, means rotably supporting said discs, bracing rods connecting saiddiscs, a series of tune cylinders journalled for rotation between saiddiscs at evenly circumferentially spaced points and being positioned forselectively engaging said comb, one of said discs havingcircumferentially spaced index means thereon corresponding in number andposition to said cylinders, spring urged means for engaging said indexmeans to selectively position said cylinders with respect to said comb,a drive shaft journalled for rotation at the center of said discs andhaving an outwardly extending end, a drive gear on said shaft, a drivengear on each of said cylinders at all times in mesh and drivenengagement with said drive gear, a spring motor having its outputconnected at all times to said shaft to rotate the same whereby a musicbox is provided, and means for intermittently allowing said motor tooperate comprising a control element for the motor, a series of keys, arod having all of said keys pivotally mounted thereon, a pivotallymounted bar resting on the inner end of all of said keys, and a memberon said bar for operating said control element, whereby said motor willoperate upon playing any of said keys.

2. A toy piano comprising a body; a spring motor operated music boxconfined within said body; brake means for normally preventing operationof said motor adapted to be released to allow said motor to operate; anarrangement for operating said brake means including a control element,a series of independent keys simulating a piano keyboard, a rod securedat its ends within said body and having all of said keys pivotally 4mounted thereon, a pivotally mounted bar resting on the inner end of allof said keys, and a member on said bar for operating said controlelement, said keys each having an inner end which is weighted to raisethe outer end of said key to a non-played position and thereby causingsaid brake means to be rendered effective, said piano beingcharacterized in that said music box will operate upon depressing any ofsaid keys and allowing said music box to operate so long as a keyremains depressed whereby said music can operate continuously orintermittently to produce tonal effects under the control of the playerof said piano.

3. A musical toy comprising a body simulating a toy piano, a musicalcomb, a pair of spaced apart discs,

means rotatably supporting said discs, bracing rods con- I necting saiddiscs, a series of tune cylinders journalled for rotation between saiddiscs at evenly circumferentially spaced points and being positioned forselectively engaging said comb, one of said discs havingcircumferentially spaced index means thereon corresponding in number andposition to said cylinders, spring urged means for engaging said indexmeans to selectively position said cylinders with respect to said comb,a drive shaft journalled for rotation at the center of said discs andhaving an outwardly extending end, a drive gear on said shaft, a drivengear on each of said cylinders at all times in mesh and drivenengagement with said drive gear, a spring motor having its outputconnected at all times to said shaft to rotate the same whereby a musicbox is provided, said music box being confined within the body, andmeans for intermittently allowing said motor to operate comprising acontrol element for the motor, a series of keys arranged to simulate apiano keyboard, a rod secured at its ends Within said body and havingall of said keys pivotally mounted thereon, said keys each having aninner end which is weighted to raise the outer end of said keys to anon-played position, a pivotally mounted bar resting on the inner end ofall of said keys, and a member on said bar for operating said controlelement, whereby said motor will operate upon playing any of said keys.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 105,972 8/ 1870 Paillard 84-95310,645 1/1885 Bradshaw t 84-95 356,251 1/1887 Junod 84-95 1,638,3278/1927 'Eckstein 8495 1,667,078 4/ 1928 Patten 8495 2,882,778 4/ 1959Scott 8495 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner J. F. GONZALES,Assistant Examiner

